Rage

Theodor Itten, psychotherapist and author, has got to grips with sudden rage in both literary and therapeutic terms…

Jähzorn is the very first German-language book on the subject, and is published by Springer, a prestigious Viennese publisher.

“One’s own sense of self-worth, self confidence, and sense of responsibility are fed by the truth of one’s feelings,” according to Swiss psychologist Theodor Itten’s brilliant new book Jähzorn

The destructive power of rage is well known, but until now has been a taboo subject. Whether in our professional or private lives, we have all been witness to sudden outbursts of rage. To underpin these everyday observations, a team of researchers in Switzerland asked almost 600 people about their personal experiences of sudden rage. The surprising result: 20% were the victims of their parents’ rage as children, and 24% of those surveyed experienced rage themselves. Is sudden rage a widespread disease? Where does it come from? How does it manifest itself? What can we do about it? These questions lead the author on a journey through religion, myth, literature and film. The book’s case studies supply new socio-psychological and therapeutic insights, as well as a call to action for psychotherapists, doctors, teachers and other members of the caring professions. They also provide a valuable source of information for those personally affected, and for their loved ones.

Theodor Itten was born in Langenthal, Switzerland. He was an apprentice of psychoanalyst, psychiatrist and writer R.D. Laing and studied with Anthropologist Francis Huxley. From 1972–1981, he studied Social Science, Anthropology and Philosophy in the UK (Middlesex University and City University) and then trained in psychotherapy with the Philadelphia Association in London. Since then has practised as a Psychoanalytic and Integrative Body Psychotherapist in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Theodor Itten has been President of the Swiss Psychotherapeutic Association from 2008-2011 and is Executive Editor of the International Journal of Psychotherapy and is a member of the International board of Experts for the World Journal Psychotherapy. He is married with three grown-up sons and presently lives in Hamburg and St.Gallen.